1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to clips that are used to engage products, such as business cards and playing cards, that are made of card stock. More particularly, the present invention relates to clips that are specifically used to interconnect multiple pieces of cardstock to one another.
2. Prior Art Description
In the prior art, cardstock is used in the manufacture of many different printed products. Examples of such products include business cards, playing cards, and greeting cards.
For most every product that is made of cardstock, there exist auxiliary devices for holding such products. For example, there are many cardholders for holding business cards. There are also many types of paper clips and other specialized clips that are specifically designed to attach a business card to another object. Likewise, there are many card holding devices for holding playing cards and greeting cards.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,263 to Endres, entitled Card House Toy, a clip system is shown that is used to interconnect playing cards or other similar cardstock items. In this manner, playing cards can be built up into houses and other structures without fear of collapse. A similar system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,913 to Mackie, entitled Connector For Use In Connecting Planar Objects. One of the problems with such prior art clips is that they are large and bulky. As such, the clips are very noticeable when a structure is constructed out of cards and the clips. Furthermore, such prior art clips are relatively expensive to make, requiring complex injection molds. A large card structure may require hundreds or thousands of such clips. Accordingly, any type of expensive clip is undesirable.
Another disadvantage of prior art card connecting clips is that they only enable cards to interconnect edge to edge. As such, prior art card clips are good for producing square card structures or rectangular card structures. However, more complex shapes cannot be obtained.
The present invention is a card connecting system that is very inexpensive to manufacture. The system utilizes clips that are very lightweight and visually inconspicuous. Furthermore, the card connecting system enables cardstock to interconnect in complex shapes and formations. As a result, the present invention is believed to be an improvement in the art, as is described and claimed below.